State of Play (2009)

State of Play is the Americanized film adaptation and condensation of the British television mini-series of the same title. While capably executed throughout at first I couldn't help but dwell on how the film embodied existing and well worn genera conventions, Russell Crowe plays a grizzled reporter straight out of the 1970's, while Ben Affleck plays the golden boy, rising star politician with a secret, almost a pre-request for this kind of film. There are also the House of Cards parallels, the political mistress pushed in front of a DC subway train, and the presence of Robin Wright in the cast (and yes I am aware that series came out after this). About halfway through the movie however the story folds over on top of itself, complicates, and explores some interesting and ambiguous dimensions. The reporters friendship with the politician and his wife makes him far from an impartial broker, even if he gets at the truth, because he is the one that did it's tainted. The film also explorers the persistence of character flaws throughout of our political/media system, how everyone is compromised, a hero in one context can easily be a villain in another. I quite liked that. If anything this movie is too star heavy, and three actors in this movie whose names I would not have recognized when this film first came out, today are all established TV and movie regulars. State of Play manages to peak just above the merely good, so I give it ***1/2